Voice Messages
by tovictorsthespoils
Summary: Set between the time when Tyler leaves to go to the Appalachians to free himself of the sire to when he returns in 3x19. Caroline had to let him know she was thinking of him.


She didn't know what compelled her to call. She knew Tyler wouldn't answer and she would have to leave a message. Tyler would be noble like that, not wanting to get her hopes up until he was free of his sire bond. And besides that, she knew he would feel guilty about her dad. But it wasn't his fault, not completely. At the very least she didn't blame him.

"Tyler, it's me." She started off after hearing the tone. "Look, I'm grateful for what you're doing but, I miss you," she admitted, "and I really wish you were here." she sighed as she hung up the phone. There, they had both left messages for the other. It had a nice symmetrical feel to it. She felt guilty for not telling him about her evening with Klaus, but that wasn't something she wanted to say over the phone. She just wanted him home.

It became a sort of routine habit for Caroline. Ever since that first night, she felt a strange pull, a desperation, to let him know she was thinking of him. She would call his cell phone every night, secretly wishing that he would answer but always expecting those words from his answering machine.

"Hey, it's Tyler, I can't take your call now, but leave a message, and I'll call you when I can." And she would always leave a message, sometimes brief and sometimes longer, always ending by telling him how much she missed him.

"Hey Tyler," she said the night after the ball. "I don't really know whether I should be calling or not but, I looked outside and its a full moon, and, I couldn't stop thinking of you." she admitted. "You would not believe what you've missed. The Original's mother is back but she told Elena she wanted to kill her children. I spent all morning with Elena and Bonnie trying to replicate some privacy spell that keeps vampires from listening in, yeah, that did not work, but I did learn Damon slept with evil blood slut. Elena ended up getting kidnapped, again, and long story short Ester almost succeeded in killing Klaus and all the others, but Bonnie's mom who was helping with the spell got turned into a vampire so she couldn't help complete the spell. I stayed with Bonnie through her mom's transition, but she's not taking it well, and I am rambling," she realized, "but it's because I hate knowing your not here and I guess I think that if you know whats going on I'll feel differently and..." she tried to think of what to say, knowing her time was limited, "and I really hoped Klaus would die today because it means you would be home sooner. I miss you Ty, so much." she sighed heavily when she ended the call.

She was pulling her covers over her when she grabbed her cell and dialed his number. "Hey, it's me." she smiled like she was looking at him. "I hope your alright. Though maybe that's a kind of dumb statement. I've tried to help Bonnie's mom adjust to being a vampire, but now she isn't taking it very well. Also her, son-like-person, yeah, turns out he was scared of vampires. I talked to him." she giggled slightly, knowing how Tyler would interpret that. One of her famous lectures. "Turns out it was mostly for nothing, Bonnie's mom ditched her again, wow I could have said that with a lot more sensitivity." she rolled her eyes at herself. Tyler wouldn't judge her though, even from the other side of the world.

She hates how obviously sad she is when she calls him after the plan for killing the originals turned into a fiasco. "We were so freaking close." Is the first thing she says after the tone. "You have no idea just how close we were to killing Klaus and being done with him for good. Alaric, Stefan and Damon found a way to make weapons that could kill Original Vampires. Since they were all bound together, taking out one meant taking them all out. And so we get the brother, Finn, cornered but just before we kill him the binding spell is undone, so we were left with the only likable Original dead and all the others still out there. Then of course his girlfriend showed up at the Salvatores, bitch-slapped me, which, for the record, will send a person flying across the room." She paused to breathe. "Tyler, I know you have to do this, but I miss you so much, and I really can't wait for you to come home."

He loved and hated the voice mails. He loved them because everyday, after hours of torturous turning under Hayley's examination, he would return to find his phone lit up with a new voice message. Caroline left one every night, sometimes short, sometimes longer, normally just telling him what had happened that day, but always saying that she missed him. He missed her so much. He was so tempted to call her back after every time he listened to one, but he never did. It was especially painful after hearing the ones where he could just tell she was about to cry. Even when he was trying to protect her he caused her pain. But he couldn't, wouldn't face her until he was free of the sire bond. So he settled to just listening to the voice messages, sometimes playing them over and over, loving the sound of her voice.

And then one night it happened. He was in the middle of turning, which had become a quicker process, and he was getting to the most painful part of the transformation. However, it never came. He still transformed into a werewolf, but when he turned he felt different. He felt more free.

He left one more message as he gathered his stuff. "Caroline, it's me. I've been trying to fix myself and I think it's working. I feel different. Anyway, I'm ready to come home. Be by the cellar tomorrow at 4. I can't wait to see you again Care."

Caroline returned to her purse and pulled her phone out. Her face became elated once she saw what was lit across the screen.

1 NEW MESSAGE: TYLER


End file.
